The best meatloaf you’ll ever have! Made with marinara sauce and sausage, recipe adapted from Murphy’s restaurant in Atlanta, GA
- 2 pounds ground beef preferably grass fed
- 1/2 Cup Onion chopped, about 1/2 a large onion
- 2 Cloves Garlic minced
- 7-8 Ounces Frozen chopped spinach, optional thawed and squeezed dry, or use fresh spinach
- 1/2 Pound Mild Italian sausage bulk or with casings removed
- 1/2 Pound Spicy Italian sausage bulk or with casings removed
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 1/2 Cups Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 Cup Panko breadcrumbs if using fine breadcrumbs only use 1/2 cup
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 Cup Marinara sauce jarred or homemade
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. The paper is optional, just makes clean up easier.
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Ideally thaw the frozen spinach the night before, place the box or bag in a bowl in the refrigerator overnight to catch any leaks. Otherwise run warm water over the spinach bag or box until it is defrosted.
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Squeeze spinach dry. Chop onion and mince garlic. If the sausage is in casings, squeeze sausage out and discard casings. If you didn't buy shredded Parmesan cheese then shred away.
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Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl except the marinara sauce.
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Shape meat mixture into an oval or square on the baking sheet, about 2" high.
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Bake for 35-45 minutes or until cooked through. Don't overbake or the meatloaf will dry out.
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Add the marinara sauce over the top of the meatloaf at the last 10 minutes. Or warm the marinara sauce in a saucepan and top individual servings with the sauce once sliced.
When mixing the ingredients, I like to put half of each ingredient in the bowl then top with the other half. That way you have a head start on the mixing.
If using fresh spinach, use a bag, usually about 9 ounces, chop and then add to the other ingredients. I prefer the fresh spinach, it's much easier than thawing and squeezing the frozen spinach.
Freezing: You can freeze either the raw shaped meatloaf or the cooked meatloaf. If I'm freezing a family size meatloaf I typically do that raw and cook the day I want to serve it. Add 10-15 minutes to the cooking time if not defrosted. Ideally you will defrost the night before and then cook for the 35-45 minutes.
When freezing individual size meatloaves I tend to cook the meatloaf first because it's meant to be like a frozen dinner that can quickly be reheated in the microwave or oven. If you know you'll be freezing them, then take the meatloaves out of the oven a few minutes early so when they are reheated the meatloaves won't overcook. Using the "reheat" setting on the microwave will help this as opposed to using the "high" setting.